Observation of a Shape Resonance in Cold-Atom Scattering by Pulsed Photoassociation

Determining the nature of quantum resonances by probing elastic and reactive scattering in cold collisions

Scattering resonances play a central role in collision processes in physics and chemistry. They help build an intuitive understanding of the collision dynamics due to the spatial localization of the scattering wavefunctions. For resonances that are localized in the reaction region, located at short separation behind the centrifugal barrier, sharp peaks in the reaction rates are the characteristic signature, observed recently with state-of-the-art experiments in low-energy collisions. If, however, the localization occurs outside of the reaction region, mostly the elastic scattering is modified. This may occur due to above-barrier resonances, the quantum analogue of classical orbiting. By probing both elastic and inelastic scattering of metastable helium with deuterium molecules in merged-beam experiments, we differentiate between the nature of quantum resonances-tunnelling resonances versus above-barrier resonances-and corroborate our findings by calculating the corresponding scattering wavefunctions.

Time-dependent resonant scattering: an analytical approach

A time-dependent description is given of a scattering process involving a single resonance embedded in a set of flat continua. An analytical approach is presented which starts from an incident free particle wave packet and yields the Breit-Wigner cross-section formula at infinite times. We show that at intermediate times the so-called Wigner-Weisskopf approximation is equivalent to a scattering process involving a contact potential. Applications in cold-atom scattering and resonance enhanced desorption of molecules are discussed.

Degenerate Fermi gases of ytterbium

Evaporative cooling was performed to cool fermionic 173Yb atoms in a crossed optical dipole trap. The large elastic collision rate leads to efficient evaporation and we have successfully cooled the atoms to 0.37+/-0.06 of the Fermi temperature, that is to say, to a quantum degenerate regime. In this regime, a plunge of evaporation efficiency was observed as a result of Fermi degeneracy.

High-resolution photoassociation spectroscopy of ultracold ytterbium atoms by using the intercombination transition

We observed high-resolution photoassociation spectra of laser-cooled ytterbium (Yb) atoms in the spin-forbidden 1S0 - 3P1 intercombination line. The rovibrational levels in the 0u+ state were measured for red detunings of the photoassociation laser ranging from 2.9 MHz to 1.97 GHz with respect to the atomic resonance. The rotational splitting of the vibrational levels near the dissociation limit were fully resolved due to the sub-MHz linewidth of the spectra in contrast to previous measurements using the spin-allowed singlet transition. In addition, from a comparison between the spectra of 174Yb and those of 176Yb, a d-wave shape resonance for 174Yb is strongly suggested.

Bounds for the scattering length of spin-polarized helium from high-accuracy electronic structure calculations

We developed a series of correlation-consistent, polarized multiple zeta basis sets optimized specifically for the energy of the 2 3S state of helium atom. These basis sets were subsequently augmented with diffuse functions optimized for the van der Waals constants C6 through C14 which determine the asymptotic behavior of the second-order dispersion interaction between 2 3S helium atoms at large interatomic separation R. The resulting bases were applied to compute the Born-Oppenheimer (BO) potential for the lowest 5Sigmag+ state of the helium dimer. The coupled cluster and the full configuration-interaction techniques were employed to account for the electron correlation effects. The cardinal number extrapolation technique was used to obtain the complete-basis-set limit V(R) for the interaction potential and to find its lower VL(R) and upper VU(R) bounds. The resulting potentials were fitted to an analytical function containing accurate van der Waals constants C6 through C12 (including C11). We found that the complete-basis-set BO potential has a well depth De=1048.24+/-0.36 cm-1. The highest rotationless vibrational level is bound by D14=90.2+/-4.7 MHz, much stronger than the previous most accurate estimation of 15.2 MHz. The error bounds for De and D14 were obtained using the VL(R) and VU(R) potentials. The S-wave scattering length computed using the VL(R), V(R), and VU(R) potentials (assuming atomic masses) is aL=7.41 nm, a=7.54 nm, and aU=7.69 nm, respectively. We also computed the adiabatic, relativistic, and quantum electrodynamics (QED) corrections to the BO potential. When these corrections are taken into account the values of D14 and of a (both computed assuming nuclear masses) are 87.4+/-6.7 MHz and 7.64+/-0.20 nm; the error bounds reflect now also the uncertainty of the included adiabatic, relativistic, and QED corrections. The value of the scattering length resulting from our investigation lies outside the error bounds of all experimental determinations based on the properties of Bose-Einstein condensate of spin-polarized helium atoms.

Control of ultracold collisions with frequency-chirped light

We report on ultracold atomic collision experiments utilizing frequency-chirped laser light. A rapid chirp below the atomic resonance results in adiabatic excitation to an attractive molecular potential over a wide range of internuclear separation. This leads to a transient inelastic collision rate which is large compared to that obtained with fixed-frequency excitation. The combination of high efficiency and temporal control demonstrates the benefit of applying the techniques of coherent control to the ultracold domain.

Improved dissociation energy of the K39Rb85 molecule

The predissociation data for the 1 (1)Pi state of (39)K(85)Rb of Kasahara et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 111, 8857 (1999)] are combined with the recent determination of the long range C(6) coefficients of the predissociating 2 (3)Sigma(+) approximately 2(0(-)), 2(1) states [Wang et al., Eur. Phys. J. D31, 165 (2004) ] molecule: to infer a more precise dissociation energy of the (39)K(85)Rb molecule D(0)=4180.06+/-0.42 cm(-1) and D(e)=4217.91+/-0.42 cm(-1).

Interisotope determination of ultracold rubidium interactions from three high-precision experiments

Combining the measured binding energies of four of the most weakly bound rovibrational levels of the 87Rb2 molecule with results of two other recent high-precision experiments, we obtain exceptionally strong constraints on the atomic interaction parameters in a highly model independent analysis. The comparison of (85)Rb and (87)Rb data, where the two isotopes are related by a mass scaling procedure, plays a crucial role. We predict scattering lengths, clock shifts, and Feshbach resonances with an unprecedented level of accuracy. Two of the Feshbach resonances occur at easily accessible magnetic fields in mixed-spin channels. One is related to a d-wave shape resonance.

Triplet scattering lengths for rubidium and their role in Bose-Einstein condensation

The triplet scattering lengths of 85Rb and 87Rb are evaluated as a function of C6 using a potential whose short-range form is fitted to an ab initio result. This is combined with a previous analysis of photoassociation measurements, which allows the determination of bounds on C6 and the scattering amplitudes to give sharper bounds for these quantities. Questions are raised about the use of scattering length as the sole atomic parameter in the description of Bose-Einstein condensates.

Cold collision frequency shifts in a 87Rb atomic fountain

We present measurements of cavity frequency pulling and collisional frequency shifts in a 87Rb fountain with a frequency resolution of 3x10(-16). Agreement with theory is found for the cavity pulling and the measured collisional shifts. The clock shift is found at least 50 times smaller than in 133Cs.

Photoassociation of Ultracold Atoms: A New Spectroscopic Technique

The new spectroscopic technique of photoassociation of ultracold atoms is reviewed, with an emphasis on connecting this area to traditional bound-state molecular spectroscopy. In particular, in contrast to photoassociative spectra at thermal energies, which are broad and of low information content, photoassociative spectra of ultracold atoms are high resolution, permitting observation of small vibrational and rotational spacings of long-range molecular levels near dissociation (typically with outer classical turning points >20 Å). The types of detection and theoretical analysis employed are illustrated, primarily using the example of 39K2. Future directions and applications of this field (e.g., to ultracold molecular formation) are also discussed. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.